Various types of keyboards are known for use with portable telephones. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,054 (inventor: Tyreski), which issued on Dec. 10, 1996, discloses a portable telephone/personal organiser combination, having a flap, with a keyboard on the outer surface of the flap. When the flap is in the closed position, the user can use the keyboard to dial a number and use the telephone. When the flap is in the open position, the keyboard is disabled, and the user can use the personal organizer. It is a disadvantage of the Tyneski device that the user cannot dial a new number when the flap is in the open position.
Similar to the Tyneski device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,632(inventor: Paajanen) which issued on Feb. 23, 1993, discloses a portable telephone/personal computer combination, having a flap, except that the flap has a keyboard on the inside of the flap as well as on the outside. The keyboard on the outside of the flap is a telephone keyboard. The keyboard on the inside of the flap is a standard QUERTY keyboard for use with the personal computer. This patent only contemplates the user dialling a telephone number when the flap is in the closed position. In any event, even if it is possible to use the telephone keyboard to dial a telephone number when the flap is opened, it would likely be awkward. As well, since this device incorporates a personal computer having a complete QUERTY keyboard, the device is larger and therefore more bulky than many current portable, or at least, cellular telephones, as well as having a greater depth dimension. Moreover, the telephone mouthpiece and earpiece on this device are on the edge of the device, resulting in a telephone that is less comfortable to hold than a standard portable telephone and creating a less aesthetically pleasing device than many current portable telephones.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,078(inventor: Nagai), which issued on Oct. 8, 1996, discloses a portable telephone having a flap. In one embodiment, the telephone keyboard is located on the inside surface of the telephone. When the flap is in the closed position, an opening within the flap allows the user access to some, but not all, of the keyboard buttons. In another embodiment, the telephone keyboard is located on the inside surface of the flap. When the flap is in the closed position, an opening within the main body of the telephone allows the user access to some, but not all, of the keyboard buttons. As access to only a few of the keyboard buttons is provided when the flap is in the closed position, a telephone number cannot be dialled unless the flap is opened.